Some IOs tend to say the case is stuck in namecheck simply because it may not be obviously visible to them. When I called today, the IO said the same thing: namecheck not completed. I asked if namecheck was initiated again for me, since it was already completed in 2004. She then continued to look and then found that namecheck *had* indeed been completed in 2004, and that wasn't the reason for the pending status.
My guess,
and this is pure speculation on my part, is this:
IOs get information in screenfuls. Whatever information is not there on the first screen (presumably the most recent information), they assume that's the reason for the delay. I doubt that there's a field in the screen saying "this is the reason the case hasn't been adjudicated". There are just various items that need to be completed before the case is handed off to an AO to adjudicate. So the IOs have to guess the reason, based on what information is visible to the IOs. If you tell them namecheck was completed according to an Infopass appointment, they may (if they are kind and inclined enough) pursue it further by continuing to dig (probably into the next screenful of information) and find that the namecheck was indeed completed 2 years ago but this fact had been pushed off the first screen by more recent activity.
This is likely also the reason that some applicants got approved even though they were told they were stuck in namecheck - the IOs simply didn't dig back far enough to get the right information. In some cases, it may genuinely be the case that the case is stuck in namecheck. I would say that if an Infopass officer tells you that namecheck is completed, then most likely it is true.
As far as FBI checks are concerned, this is what I read from the "USCIS Transformation Program, Concept of Operations" document:
Another quote regarding FBI checks:
Not sure how much of this is true or exactly what is practised, but that's what USCIS says it does. In any case, I haven't yet guessed what would trigger USCIS to inquire FBI for the results of the namecheck, if USCIS does indeed have to inquire for each case.
Lots of theorizing above, I know. It would be nice if we knew what they actually did.
